“If you can’t hustle your way to meet one of these people, you probably don’t deserve their money.”

By Alyson Shontell (Editor, Business Insider)

If you’re new to the New York startup scene, who are the best early-stage investors to pitch? There are a lot of people and early-stage firms who can cut your startup’s first checks.

In recent years, seed funding has become more formalized. Many of the folks on this list aren’t “angels” in the classic sense of the word — i.e.individuals who became rich and now spray money around. This list includes early-stage VCs and other professional investors who make seed investments.